A Steamboat Named Disaster
by Galenchia
Summary: -AU, Zack x Cloud; very loosely Titanic-inspired; full summary inside- One can only hope that love will conquer the challenges that Zack and Cloud will endure.
1. Prologue

A Steamboat Named Disaster

FFVII; Zack x Cloud; Rating: T, Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure

Summary: [AU, ZxC; very loosely Titanic-inspired] A stowaway is looking for freedom and an escape from what little he remembers of a troubled life; a sailor is looking for adventure and something worth the risk of taking his most dangerous journey yet. An ocean vessel brings them together, and not even its imminent demise can tear them apart after they've found each other. But there is more than one obstacle that this pair must face, not to mention the superhuman Sephiroth on the loose… One can only hope that love will conquer the challenges that Zack and Cloud will endure.

A/N (also known as bullshit commentary that you are welcome to skip): I am going to address several points to eliminate any confusion on your part.

a.) You don't need to have seen the 1997 movie _Titanic_ to understand this. At all. It started out as a kind of FFVII adaptation to the film plot, but then it grew into a life of its own, and that premise is now only a setting and minor plot inclusion.

b.) SLASH. ← THIS STORY WILL BE IT. I'm not sure how you got here without knowing that, though… Warnings will be designated as appropriate per chapter.

c.) Don't expect rapid-fire delivery. I'm a horrible procrastinator, and there is a possibility that I'll just abandon this like a bad habit. D: But I'll try not to. You guys are going to keep me motivated, aren't you? AREN'T YOU?!

Shameless promotion: For **exclusive news** of how updates are coming along for this story, and access to other **great FFVII fiction**, please visit (the- seventh- heaven .proboards .c o m) minus spaces, obviously. It's a great forum, we have lots of fun, and…well, **I'm** there. What more can you ask for?

(**!!TL;DR version!!**: don't need to have seen the DiCaprio film, there's probably going to be man-sex, I'm a lazy bastard, join the-seventh-heaven.)

Please enjoy the prologue and, I hope, much more to come.

~Yours truly, Galenchia

Standard disclaimer applies: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any related characters, logos, concepts, rights to any paraphernalia, etc.

spopococ is my fantastic beta-reader; thank her for the ease of reading. Any errors are my own.

WARNINGS: None for the Prologue.

* * *

**Prologue**

_Zack Fair's mother could attest to the fact that, above all else, Zack had always been an adventure-seeker. She could not, however, pinpoint what exactly it was that Zack was venturing to find._

_And neither could Zack. He'd always felt a pull to go farther, jump higher, expand his horizons. He reasoned that when he'd finally found whatever would fill this void from completion, he'd know, and finally be able to settle down as his mother wanted._

_He was a few days short of his twenty-sixth birthday and had only stayed at home for a little less than three months when he barged into the living room while his mother had been knitting a scarf. He'd then proceeded to inform the woman that he had been appointed as first-mate under Captain Angeal Hewley, his long-term mentor, on the five-star steamboat Shinra's first voyage from the peaceful town of Kalm to the excitement of Costa del Sol._

_She really shouldn't have been surprised._

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

_Specimen A09 was sitting quietly in his cell when the ruckus broke out._

"_What's going on?!" someone yelled down the hallway._

"_I-it's Sephiroth!" a female lab assistant replied from a doorway, looking more than a little disoriented. "He took off suddenly. The Professor is furious!"_

_The man who had inquired swore loudly. "I _knew_ that Sephiroth was a walking time-bomb. But fucking Hojo just wouldn't listen and terminate the experiment. …What?!"_

_The woman was weeping something awful, her mascara slipping down her face along with the tears._

"_Lucrecia, what is it?!"_

"_Sephiroth…" she offered as way of explanation, "Before he left, he said that he was going to destroy this facility."_

_Neither listener – A09 nor the lab-worker – needed to be told twice: Both knew that the superhuman Sephiroth was more than capable of such a thing._

_The lab employees tore down the hallway, whether to run for their endangered lives or attempt to protect their careers' work from Sephiroth's wrath, the specimen did not know, nor did he care. Cloud – as all except Hojo referred to him (the insane scientist seemed to believe that Cloud was not worthy of a name rather than a code; nothing like his _magnum opus_ Sephiroth) had been waiting for this opportunity. This was the chance for which he'd been waiting._

_Freedom._

_He could taste it._

_A nail had come loose from somewhere, a week or so back, and by some twist of fate found itself kicked over to where a pale hand, doubtlessly so from a lack of sun exposure, had delicately picked it up from between the bars as though it were made of gold. It was slender and sharp, and he had the distinct impression that it could knock the tumbler out of place and disengage the locking mechanism of his cell door._

PING.

_The lock sprung open, and the coast was clear for his impromptu escape. Cloud never thought that he'd be thanking Sephiroth for anything, but…_

_Well, he was in no position to look a gift chocobo in the mouth, to say the least. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him down the hallway and towards the nearest door that looked like an exit. Little did he know that neither his life nor the life of a cheerful sailor would ever be the same, as he passed through the portal from his cold, sterile prison, to the warm green world outside._

_

* * *

_

A/N: Never fear: if all goes as planned, this will be uploaded simultaneously with Chapter 1. Galenchia now comes with 15% less wait time, lolz.


	2. 1: Let's Leave It Behind

A Steamboat Named Disaster

FFVII; Zack x Cloud; Rating: T, Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: The empty mailbox taunts me: no post-mailed documents saying that I own full rights to FFVII today…

spopococ is my fantastic beta-reader; thank her for the ease of reading. Any errors are my own.

Warnings: None for Chapter 1.

* * *

**1: Let's Leave It Behind**

The rain fell down on him as he ran through the trees and undergrowth. Then again, it was always muggy in Midgar…wasn't it? Cloud wasn't sure if he'd always been in Midgar; if he'd been there before he ended up in the lab or not; who knew?

But if Cloud was sure of anything, it was that he damn well didn't want to go back there. He needed to get away quickly, before the commotion caused by Sephiroth calmed down and his absence was noticed. Come to think of it, Sephiroth had apparently run off as well, so the lab had lost two specimens in one day. Perhaps karma, or whatever it was called, was finally catching up to those bastards.

He had no way of discerning how much time had elapsed since his escape, unfortunately. The rain came with hazy clouds that hid the sun and thus, his primitive clock. It couldn't have been too many hours, he reasoned, since he had yet to encounter a feeling of fatigue… No, that wasn't an accurate estimate, either; Cloud had always had a peculiarly high amount of stamina, even in foot races with the other children in the place he'd once been.

That was right: He'd been in a place with other children. Somewhere…where had it been?

"Agh!" Cloud yelped, upon feeling a sharp, searing pain in his skull. He fell to his knees on the muddy ground of the woods and clutched at his wet hair, pulling, trying anything that may assuage the pain. Finally it subsided, and he blinked his bright blue eyes a few times to bring his vision to focus, before raising one of the hands that had been settled on his head. He fully expected it to be drenched with blood, and so was met with surprise when it only bore mud, slowly being washed away by the rain. He promptly returned to his feet and took off at a run once more.

Whatever that had been, it would have to wait until later to be dealt with. He didn't have time to waste now. He needed to get far away from here, fast.

Cloud must have run some distance, because he finally found himself at the brink of exhaustion, and collapsed in a clear patch of grass. He was tired, hungry, and dirty, he realized, when he could hear his own thoughts over the heavy pants of air coming from his mouth. Everywhere he looked was a blur of colors and shapes; he squinted to try to find something clear or defined.

"STRIFE CARPENTRY" read a sign in big, blue block letters hanging over a wooden cabin.

–As tempting as it was to simply lay there and catch his breath, the paranoia screaming that he needed to keep running, get away, had made him overtly cautious. It was a battle between logic and his body's basic need for rest that left Cloud with little idea of where he was to go from here. Before he could make up his mind as to what to do next however, he was interrupted by a female shriek.

"Eeiyahhh!"

A series of thuds told him that she'd dropped a bundle in her surprise. Then, there was suddenly a face hovering above him, with suspicious dark eyes and a scrutinizing expression. "Who the hell are you?!"

The strain of keeping his eyes open finally overcame him, and he slipped away into unconsciousness, the voice fading away.

"Hello--?"

And all thought was gone.

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

When he woke up, he was in an unfamiliar room, in an unknown location, and in an outright panic. Cloud sat up quickly, only to be chastised.

"Don't sit up so fast!" the young woman from earlier ordered with a scowl. "If you blow chunks all over the floor, I'm going to be furious when I have to clean it up!" She had short, dark hair, and matching almond-shaped eyes.

She didn't appear to pose any immediate threat, he decided. "Where am I?"

She looked a bit surprised, as though this wasn't the first thing she expected him to say. "You're on the outskirts of Kalm, goof. How did you not know that?" She was smiling the whole time, and even laughed lightly now at his obviously absurd circumstances.

Cloud decided that he liked her. It had been a long time since he'd been around someone who laughed on a regular basis, or even someone who smiled often… But thinking about the past had proven painful during his escape, so he came to the conclusion that he wouldn't worry about that now.

She offered a small hand for him to shake. "I'm Yuffie! Apprentice carpenter to Mr. Strife, now, but someday I'll be the best wood-worker in the whole of Gaia!"

He gave her a small, timid smile in return for her exuberance. "My name is Cloud."

"Nice to meet you, Cloud! Now, down to business. Can I ask why you were wandering around in the forest?"

"…" He hesitated, though his mouth had been open to simply reply in the negative; but that would be rude, and this Yuffie character had been very kind to him from what he could discern. "I can't answer that. Sorry."

She looked a little startled, maybe affronted, but shrugged and turned on her heel. "To each his own, I guess." Yuffie picked an apple up from the desk and tossed it over her shoulder to him. "I guess you're probably hungry. After you eat, you should really bathe. Geesh, you look like you were rolling around in the mud, Cloud!"

He chuckled, not caring to mention how accurate her observation was. It was strange, to feel that rumbling in his chest again. 'Damn. How long has it been?' he thought, moving to wipe the fruit on his shirt until he realized how dirty the latter was, and simply took a bite of the apple without the pretense of cleaning.

Yuffie, who was shaping up to be quite the little ball of energy, soon bounded back into the room with some towels. "Here you go! Use these."

"Uh, Yuffie? Your employer…" he trailed off, unsure of how to work his question. "Did he see me?"

She laughed. "Mr. Strife is a nice guy, but I imagine he'd be a little hesitant to let a stranger wandering through the woods into his home. He and the missus went along with my fellow apprentice into town to pick up some things for the day. So don't worry about them." Yuffie waved a dismissive hand.

Cloud looked perplexed. "You shouldn't let people in when you're here by yourself," he offered quietly, "I don't think that's really safe."

She turned to face him with her hands on her hips. "Says the guy I brought in and gave food and towels!" she countered. "How ungrateful!" Then the young woman stuck her tongue out at him, to demonstrate that she'd only been teasing. "Don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself if a robber or something comes along. …But you. You just seemed like you genuinely needed help. You looked so lost lying there, Cloud…" A rare note of seriousness was on her face; it obviously made her uncomfortable to think of her new companion's plight, so she quickly returned to her normal carefree demeanor. "Go get cleaned up, Smelly!" she ordered with a laugh before giving him directions to the bathroom and left the room, insisting that she had other things to do besides play maid.

Cloud couldn't help but to smile. This was like a dream: Being around someone and laughing, having a normal conversation, such spontaneity. It was nothing like the lab, where everything had a definitive purpose and adhered closely to a strict schedule. Had he ever lived like this before?

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

He'd washed up and taken a seat in the kitchen with Yuffie, who had been very half-heartedly attempting to make some lunch.

"_I'm not much of a cook, so unless you want to be stuck grazing outside, you'd better help me Cloud!"_

He had done as the girl requested, and they were now quite contentedly eating some soup on the front lawn.

Yuffie liked to eat outside when she was alone, she said, on one of the rocking chairs in the yard. She hated feeling cooped up. And Cloud was just fine with sitting outside, as well. The meal wasn't bad either, barring the sometimes curious chunks of what could have been potatoes floating in the seemingly innocent broth. Then again, anything was better than the rations he got in the lab…

"So where are you headed, Cloud?" she asked, sitting cross-legged in her chair and sipping at her lunch.

He looked over at her, wondering what sort of answer he could give.

"I'm not sure. Away. Far away, I think." To her odd look at this statement he merely responded: "I'm trying to get away from some things."

Yuffie had surprised him all day with her moments of great perceptiveness in leaving a topic alone when he wasn't very forthcoming. He could tell that she was curious; still, she withheld her queries to keep him from being uncomfortable.

"Where would you suggest, Yuffie?" he asked, trying to continue a conversation in the hopes that his reserved nature wouldn't come across as disinterest in talking with a girl who'd done so much for a man she didn't even know.

"Hm." She glanced up at some slowly rolling clouds, smiling at the coincidentally same name of her companion. "Well, Cloud. If I was trying to get away from something, I guess I'd go around the world, maybe to the West Continent, at the very least. Can't get too much farther than that, in my book. Well, unless you go all the way over to my homeland of Wutai."

"Around the world, huh?" It was an interesting thought. Cloud would have an opportunity to start a new life, free of past experiences and the shuddering pain that attacked when he tried to remember a time before he'd been Hojo's guinea pig.

"Yup. Just take a ship and sail away across the deep blue," she sighed longingly. "I've always wanted to do that. Maybe one day when I'm the richest, most highly recommended carpenter on the Planet, I'll travel, too."

They both sat peacefully with empty bowls, wondering at their respective futures.

"You'd let an old friend stay with you in a couple years while she sight-sees in the West Continent, won't you, Cloud?" Yuffie asked cheerfully.

He smiled at her. "Of course, Yuffie."

She seemed to think it was that simple: 'Just take a ship and sail away…' Perhaps it was; Cloud had no reason to doubt Yuffie's optimistic idea.

Sail away. Maybe he could.

* * *

A/N: I've always been a big Yuffie fan, and she was just the kind of perky personality who could help Cloud find his way. No Zack yet, though. D: Next chapter, I promise. I can't hide him away from you crazies forever.

Feel free to review, tell me how you like it so far! Tell me why you like it, why you don't, what you're looking forward to, etc.: Anything you'd like. You can even comment telling me about the new Galenchia religion you're starting because you've fallen so deeply in love with my natural poetic voice. ;D

I'm such a ham.

Notes of the beautiful beta, Spop: I dun have anything witty to say Galench. D: Uhm… this story's awesome. Yeah. Was ace even before I got my grimy little hands all over it. Remember readers, creativity is a rare gift. Use it wisely, and for God's sake, show it off.

Like Galenchia! :D


	3. 2: Gathering the Pieces

A Steamboat Named Disaster

FFVII; Zack x Cloud; Rating: T, Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure

PLEASE NOTE: You'll be able to best follow the story by assuming that nothing from the original FFVII universe exists unless it is mentioned, i.e. Shinra as a power company, mako, the SOLDIER program, etc. Some of these things may appear, but others may not. Assume that it is all in your minddddd!

Disclaimer: So, I've been talking to Akiyoshi Hongo lately, and he says that we can talk about holding joint ownership! ISN'T THAT EXCITING?! …what? What do you mean he didn't create FFVII? He made…Digimon? …OH, FU-

spopococ is my fantastic beta-reader; thank her for the ease of reading. Any errors are my own. SPECIAL thanks to Spop this week for churning this baby out extra early to make me feel better after I'd had a shit day.

Warnings: My minor potty mouth.

If you're more of a visual learner, I've prepared a map and found a diagram to give you a first-hand view of what Zack and Angeal will be discussing. The link is as follows, minus spaces of course: foxiemoxie. 110mb. c o m / index. php

* * *

**2: Gathering the Pieces**

November 11th was a cloudy Wednesday in the port town of Kalm. "Zack!" a masculine voice called over the hustle and bustle of the crowd in Kalm.

Zack Fair spun around, recognizing that timbre anywhere. "Captain!" He jogged over to his mentor, giving him a formal salute…followed by quite the informal slap on the shoulder, "How have you been?"

Captain Hewley sighed, but hadn't honestly expected any more pomp from his vigorous protégé. "You never change, Zack. Come on, let's get a few drinks while I fill you in on the specs of the ship." He ducked into a local pub while Zack followed him cheerfully. Angeal was certain that Zack kept his blood pressure at a reasonable level while they were at sea. No matter what went wrong, Zack was always entirely confident that they could repair the damage, be it to the ship or to the morale.

The pub was a town favorite, and thus, always had quite a crowd. The smell of cigar smoke wafted through the congested air in between the scents of crowded bodies, sweat, and liquor. They sat down at an unoccupied table and ordered their drinks: It was so typical a scene that it was almost suspicious. "How is your mother, Zack?"

"She's well; or so she says. I think she gets lonely when I'm away, though," the young man looked fixedly at the table. "Visits with a number of our neighbors while I'm gone." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I hate to leave her alone so often, Captain, but she insists."

The drinks were delivered and Angeal took the opportunity to pause, before responding by busying himself with stirring his coffee. "She wants you to live your life without being held up on her account, I'd think."

"One of these days when I leave, I'm going to get a dog…" he paused to glare at Angeal's skeptical look, "Don't look at me like that! I think she'd be safer, if there was a dog to stay with her." He was looking at the grooves in the wood of the table again, and his mentor knew that now was the time to drop the topic. Zack worried about his mother. He frequently told Angeal that he was "all she had left" and subsequently felt guilty for leaving her to satisfy his longing to be on the sea again or to carry on with his own life. Though no one had ever told him as much, Captain Hewley assumed from the lack of sympathy for the absent father figure in Zack's carefully selected words that the man had walked out of his own accord many years back.

Clearing his throat to regain the younger man's attention, Angeal spread a diagram and a map along the length of their table, placing his coffee mug on the corner of the overlay between them to prevent the papers from curling. His companion whistled appreciatively, taking a swallow of his beer. "No wonder Shinra looks so large on the outside; she has to fit all of this in there," Zack stated while his eyes poured over the internal ship layout.

In response, Angeal nodded. "She'll be the biggest vessel I've ever sailed, that's certain." He folded his hands and settled his chin on the ledge formed. "This will be a two week trip, as I mentioned. We go northwest from Kalm. The currents will then help to force us along the southern border of the North Continent for a few days. When we reach this point…" he lifted his head to point a hand at the cross on the map "…that's when we can go southwest towards the resort city, Costa del Sol."

Zack studied the map with an air of more seriousness than the captain would have anticipated. "We have to sail parallel to the North Continent for nearly the duration of the first week." The observation seemed casual enough; the younger man's tone, however, led his mentor to note that something was amiss.

"What's wrong?"

Only the activities in the bar around the pair served to punctuate the silence that followed for a second or two.

"Oh, huh?" Zack asked, looking up as though he'd just realized Angeal had spoken. His eyes were wide and innocent. "Nothing! Nothing's wrong. I spaced out for a second, Captain. My bad."

Though looking rather unconvinced, Angeal allowed the subject to drop as he used his hand to hold the diagrams steady while he lifted the mug to his lips to take a drink.

The dark-haired young man shifted his gaze to the hand, rather than the map that had grasped a firm hold on his attention for that long moment. He hadn't lied when he'd said nothing was wrong. There were no discernible problems with the line of intended travel; there were no hazards or anything of the nature. It was merely a fleeting unease that he felt in his stomach when Angeal had shown him their route. He had no logical reason for being paranoid regarding the waters around the North Continent. The odd inkling was just an impulse: something his subconscious had deemed suspicious…

Or foreboding…

There was nothing with which to worry himself, he reassured the feeling, as he turned his eyes to the interior layout yet again. But the feeling and light queasiness had already vanished from his stomach.

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

Three days later, on the 14th of November, the Shinra was prepared for the sea: All that she was missing was her menagerie of passengers. Zack Fair and Captain Angeal Hewley were making their final rounds on the ship as the ramp was rolled to the ship's side and sailors began taking shifts greeting passengers and collecting their tickets.

The earliest arrivals had stayed at one of the bed and breakfast locations available in Kalm last night, and were thus ready to board as soon as the ship had been opened to its paying occupants. Among those to first board were the wealthy members of the Lockheart family: the mister and missus, and their daughter, Tifa. Though they had a permanent home in Midgar, the family tended to travel fairly frequently.

The two men of the Shinra family – primary contributor of funds for the ship's construction and thus its namesake – also boarded early in the day. The elder Shinra had requested a vacation from management of his company for himself and his son (who proved that the apple, indeed, did not fall far from the tree in this instance) to ride on the vessel bearing their name and take a nice relaxing break at Costa del Sol.

Zack glanced over the railing of the upper deck down to the ramp via which their passengers boarded, and couldn't help but be grateful that he didn't have to stand there and exchange niceties with the arrogant man. His son tended to not be such a bag of chuckles, either. 'Give me a thousand chores to do that don't involve pretending to think that old wind-bag's jokes are funny, and I'll still be happier,' he thought with a snort.

"Oi, Fair. That Tifa's gotten pretty cute, huh?" a passing coworker whistled as he leaned against the rail along with the first mate and effectively interrupted Zack's internal monologue. Zack turned to face him and raised an eyebrow, but did glance back down to the woman stepping up to the lower deck.

It spoke volumes that the sailors all could say whatever they wished and know that Zack would keep it in confidence; he was one of the guys, through and through. The level of respect that they all held for Captain Hewley was still demonstrated with his second-in-command; it was simply shown with more familiarity. There were no proverbial eggshells to sidestep when speaking with the first mate. Often, he was the one making comments that the others wouldn't dare dream of suggesting to Captain. Then again, the man had one of those personalities that made it difficult to maintain anger with him, no matter how justified it was.

"Eh," Zack finally stated after looking at the woman for a minute, "I guess you could say that. Definitely not my type, though."

The other man guffawed, almost losing the toothpick hanging over his lip. "Not your type? I'd make an exception for my 'type' if a girl had a chest like that."

An utterly unconvinced 'hmph' was the response he received. "I don't think so. Now stop slacking around or I'll sic Captain Hewley on you!"

He looked back down to the girl as she played nice with Shinra Junior, shaking his head more emphatically now that the other sailor was gone; 'fake' was practically painted on the woman's forehead. "Nope. Definitely not." And he pushed himself back from the railing to attend to his duties once more.

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

Cloud munched peacefully on a loaf of bread that Yuffie had insisted he take along when he bid his leave at Strife Carpentry. When he attempted to decline, citing that she'd already done more than enough on his account, she nearly pushed him out of the door while yelling 'not to tell her what to do.' He recognized that was simply her way of looking out for him and wishing him luck: She'd waved and told him to keep himself out of trouble, but couldn't bring herself to say a good-bye. She was a good – albeit quirky – friend.

A friend. He certainly hadn't expected finding one of those when he made his dash for freedom. It filled him with a kind of excitement, though; who knew what other surprises would come his way? For the first time, he contemplated less about the mere idea of freedom and the physical places he could go, and more about the experiences he'd soon have that came along with being out of a cage, as it were.

Over the last day, his traveling – much less panic-inducing than his original journey, now that he had moved quite a distance from the labs and felt a greater sense of security – had taken him across the plain and through a forest, at the edge of which he'd seen the lights of civilization a few miles off. Cloud had settled down to sleep under a tree a few miles from the town, and now that the sun had risen, was preparing to journey the final lap.

From what Yuffie had said, this town was Kalm: a town with a substantial port that his friend thought would have a boat going out sooner or later. However, the atmosphere upon walking up the main street into town was quite the opposite to what the name may have suggested. Movement was everywhere, the hustle and bustle of city living evident in the shouting of vendors, the chattering of friends, the bickering of neighbors. So it didn't feel so calm…but then again, he didn't quite have much to compare it to.

He wandered down the road, wondering just how out of place he looked. Yuffie had kindly washed his clothes, but the blue fabric was still torn in a place or two, and the sleeves were short enough to reveal his wrists. Oh, and his hair… Cloud had always had rather peculiar hair. It was soft and a shiny gold, but seemed to have a mind of its own in determining exactly how it would jut out of his head.

The people of Kalm were fairly preoccupied with their lives though, and didn't pay much heed to the young man stepping along in his mono-color outfit that made him look like he'd come from a hospital. It wasn't far from the truth.

Suddenly, he saw the sea: boats were lined along the piers, floating between docks and buoys. One ship in particular caught his attention, and rightfully so.

This ship was gigantic, larger than he'd ever dreamed a machine that could _float_ would possibly be. It was easily over two hundred fifty meters* long.

The salty smell of ocean water filled his nostrils in a wave; Cloud could not say whether he'd ever been near the ocean before. He exhaled heavily, glaring at the ground as though it was at fault. Damned Hojo. Why did he have to meddle with Cloud's life until it no longer even seemed like it was the blond's own? He'd contemplate it a little longer, but Cloud really, really didn't feel like enduring the headache that was certain to ensue. He didn't have the time to settle anywhere for more than a day or two, not yet.

"Fresh fish! Get yer fish here!" shouted a vendor nearer the docks.

Well, Cloud wasn't really in the mood for any fish – and there was the fact that he lacked any money to begin with – but he certainly could do with fishing for some information. Kalm was not Midgar, but that did not mean that it was safe. He strode purposefully towards the man.

The vendor looked up eagerly when it was clear the newcomer was approaching his stand. "Young man, can I interest you in some fish?"

"Ah, no. But if you're familiar with Kalm, I was hoping to ask you something."

Disappointed but not surprised was the best way to describe the vendor's expression. "Of course ya were. Can't expect to sell anything today, can I?" He looked over the smelly pounds of flesh set across his stand as though looking for something out of place that was driving customers away. Heaving a sigh, he shook his head and glanced back up to Cloud with an eyebrow raised. "Go ahead, fella. Not like I'm doing much else."

The blond nodded. "I'm looking to take a ship to the West Continent. Would you happen to know of anyone traveling there soon?"

"Humph. I'd say your timing is good, son, but your luck sure isn't. The Shinra, that huge beaut over there, is heading for the West Continent this very evening. Unfortunately for you, tickets are all sold out from what I hear." His fingers were tapping a rhythm against the wood of the booth as he continued, "Only other ship that normally goes over west is the government run route that leaves every month on the 30th. You'll have to wait a little over two weeks for that one."

Cloud thanked him and turned away, walking along the docks towards the Shinra automatically while he was lost in thought. 'By the time that other boat leaves, it's fairly likely that the labs will have recovered and established a temporary base somewhere. Depending on how badly Sephiroth hurt their numbers, at any rate…' His bottom lip was between his teeth as he stood stock still, looking at the looming presence of the Shinra. 'I can't discount that they may make it a high priority to track me down. Two weeks is too long for me to linger here; I'd be safer in motion.'

So, he had to board the Shinra, ticket or none. And he had a strategy to employ at the ready.

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

On the first deck, the first mate and captain were taking some time to greet their passengers along with the sailors who manned the entrance. "Pleasure to be escorting you to Costa del Sol over the next two weeks, ma'am," Zack said cheerfully to an older woman as Angeal shook hands with her husband. The pair both smiled appreciatively and expressed how eager they were to be traveling on the Shinra. As they received a key and moved to carry their belongings to their cabin, Zack turned to the ramp.

The man at the bottom of the ramp speaking to Tseng did not appear to be boarding, however. All that Zack saw of him was the back of a very spiky blond-haired head walking in the opposite direction of the Shinra, wearing garb that made him look as though he'd just been released from the infirmary. Tseng himself looked rather baffled, and re-boarded the ship when another sailor took his place in greeting and checking passengers aboard.

"Tseng, what was that about?" Both Zack and Captain Hewley looked rather curious regarding what the man's answer would be.

He stopped and nodded his respect to the captain, hesitating for a moment to gather his thoughts of how to explain the situation. "Sirs, a man was asking to do work on the ship in exchange for passage."

Among the traits that Zack and his mentor had in common was a respect for hard work. Neither of them would have been successful without dedication. For this reason, Zack felt obligated to ask: "What did you tell him?"

"That this was a first-class cruise ship," the man replied confidently, feeling that he'd upheld the standards of the expensive voyager, "And that we already have all the hired help we need." His dark eyes shifted to the first mate; Tseng may have very well anticipated his objection, based on that expectant look.

Not one to disappoint or withhold his feelings, the black-haired man opened his mouth to reply –

"Good work. We don't have room for any untrained laborers right now; not on a maiden voyage."

Zack's head nearly snapped with the speed he turned to Angeal after the words had left the older man's mouth. "Captain!"

"There is a time and place for everything, Zack. Right now, the Shinra can not handle any uncontrolled variables." Angeal's voice emphasized that he was convinced. As much as Zack sympathized with the man who'd been turned away, he knew that he was in no position to challenge the captain on something that was, honestly, insubstantial. It wasn't fair to his captain to show more allegiance to an anonymous stranger.

The blond man could always take the government-run ship at the end of the month, he supposed. So at least they hadn't stranded him here.

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

He could not wait another two weeks. It was too dangerous to stay in Kalm. It was the closest town to Midgar, for fuck's sake! That was the first place Hojo and company would look if they decided that re-capturing Cloud was a top priority. If Cloud wanted to get away, and get away now, he had to be aboard the Shinra. To be fair, he'd tried to do so in an honest manner: his services as a laborer (he would've scrubbed the decks, even _cooked_ if it would have gotten him on the ship!) were turned down, however. And that brought the blond to his current predicament. Fortunately, if there was one thing he'd gathered from spending all of those damn years as a guinea pig, it was to always have a plan B.

It didn't appear that anyone heard the splash off the docks; they were far too preoccupied with their busy schedules. The sea water stung Cloud's eyes, but he didn't dare surface quite yet. First he had to swim to the opposite side of the Shinra, where none of the crew would be able to notice his subtle boarding. His damp head emerged from the surface of the sea as he attempted to be as quiet as possible while treading water. This was certainly the opposite side of the ship, as he couldn't see any of the docks or town of Kalm in general from behind the massive vessel.

It was a painstakingly slow process to find a ridge to grip with a hand and pull himself up, but eventually Cloud slunk onto the deck and very silently crept below to find somewhere he could hide until the ship was in motion and he could relocate while the crew was hopefully occupied. As it was, he was darting behind corners to avoid any peering eyes; his untraditional clothes would've been an immediate tip off that he was not exactly a paying customer.

On the lower floor, he was suddenly backed into a room to avoid exposure, and forced to settle between a tall pile of crates containing coal and a boiler. He would certainly be sweating it out a bit, but it was unlikely that anyone would glance back here for some time. And just like that, he was looking for his new future…

Sitting behind the boiler, he became even more aware that it would never be simple. Not for him.

* * *

* - That's eight hundred twenty feet for you non-metric users such as moi. The Shinra, which for all intents and purposes of facilitation we are considering of dimensions equal to the R.M.S. Titanic, is actually 882 feet long, or 269 meters. Bitch is big!

A/N: I promised you Zack and Zack you shall receive! 8D I'm going to be moving back to school very shortly here, so updates are probably going to be slower. On a brighter note, part of chapter three is already completed.

BE SURE TO TELL ME IF YOU LIKED THE MAP, LULZ.

Words from spoppy the beta: xD I like that title… Could totally get used to it. Eee, I love this story. I can pretty much guarantee anyone else reading it shall agree with me when I say even the fill-in chapters raise questions and build characters in a quite enticing way :3

I don't really have words of wisdom today. :/ Uhmmm… .

… I got nothing. Love your fellow fanfic writers, leave some love! :D


	4. 3: Hey There, Bright Eyes

A Steamboat Named Disaster

FFVII; Zack x Cloud; Rating: T, Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure

PLEASE NOTE: You'll be able to best follow the story by assuming that nothing from the original FFVII universe exists unless it is mentioned, i.e. Shinra as a power company, mako, the SOLDIER program, etc. Some of these things may appear, but others may not. Assume that it is all in your minddddd!

Disclaimer: I was supposed to write a paper about a "true" story once, and I wrote it about how I created the Final Fantasy franchise. The paper got an F for FUTILE EFFORT (and also being a big liarface). I also don't own Bonnie Tyler's beautiful singing voice (turn arounnddddd, bright eyeeeesssss!) which inspired the chapter title, kthx.

Warnings: One vulgarity. (I'm being good. :D )

I think it would have been more accurate to refer to the "boilers" as "furnaces," because Wikipedia told me that the furnaces powered the boilers which made the ship move. I've corrected the error in this chapter, and I'll probably fix the other chapter at some point.

**3: Hey There, Bright Eyes**

It felt as though it had been hours since he'd hidden here in the engine room, and Cloud literally thought he could be sweating to death. In reality, there was no means of telling time in his position however, and he may very well have been in hiding for only fifteen minutes or so. He didn't dare so much as breathe too loudly, for fear that one of the ship's laborers would caution a glance in his concealed wedge. That would pretty much be the end of the line. Due to his lack of familiarity with ship procedures, policies, and ship…well, _anything_, he had no idea what the actual reaction would be to his surprise and quite unwelcome presence. At the same time, he had no desire to find out.

There were men standing around the room now, shoveling coal away into the steaming metal tanks every so often. With each scoop that was tossed into the furnaces, a noise like the exhalation of a dragon erupted near Cloud's ears. Fortunately it wasn't a constant chore; they waited for the coal to burn before more was added. Ironically it was when the ship-hands _weren't_ throwing pounds of sooty fuel in his general direction, that he was least safe. They sat on crates between shovelfuls; they chatted and shared a flask of wine. Sitting as compactly as he could, hoping all the while no one would notice the slight hint of blue and blond concealed to the side of one of the crates…it was strenuous.

'When are they going to leave and at least give me a chance to get the hell out of here?' Cloud wondered with a subtle desperation. Wherever else he could find to hide out for a few days, it had to be better than sitting here.

But that brought to mind another trail of decisions. Suppose he was able to sneak his way out of here, suppose he found somewhere else to lie low for a bit: What then? Cloud was more practical than perhaps circumstances would suggest; he knew very well that at some point he would need to integrate himself into the crowd of the ship, be it with the passengers or the sailors. It was only a matter of deciding where he was most likely to blend in.

So, sweating beside a furnace and keeping a wary look-out for any curious individuals getting too close to his position, Cloud planned his next move.

* * *

With a final survey of the ship and all of the necessary equipment, Zack blew the horn to indicate that they were setting sail. Many passengers were standing along the sides, waving, yelling, and occasionally sobbing their goodbyes to those still ashore. The Shinra would be a town of its own over the next two weeks, he knew. Friendships would be made and broken on the most enormous vessel the sea had ever seen. Hell, people might even fall in and out of love as emotions rose and fell like the waves of the vast ocean.

"Weird," Zack muttered with a sigh, shaking his head as the boat moved away from the dock. But fortunately, he wouldn't be subjected to any of that emotional mess. He had already been acquainted with all of the ship-hands accompanying Captain Hewley and himself – good men, most of them – and aside from the generic polite pleasantries he was expected to exchange with travelers, Zack highly doubted he'd really associate with them. It wasn't as though they were going to sit at the controls with him until the wee hours of the morn when Angeal took over.

Besides, they had their own little spheres of existence within which to be contained. There were people, people, and more people to meet of a similar socio-economic class! There were connections to be made! There was information to be traded regarding "What you're doing on the West Continent!" Passengers didn't ask him those sorts of questions, and why should they? Zack Fair and the rest of the crew were a means to an end, and he honestly didn't hold it against them.

As another sailor took the controls, Zack walked up to the large window in the front of the compartment and looked out over the churning waves of the sea.

"Here we go!" he exclaimed lightly to the other man, who chuckled a little at his efforts, "Captain Hewley will probably be up within the hour after he gets things settled. You hold down the fort, alright?"

The sailor gave his affirmation, and Zack left the top cabin to make his rounds.

* * *

Cloud was contemplating. Common sense said that these ship-hands would have to leave eventually; when they did, he needed to be ready. But regardless of how much planning he did, he also knew that there was no way he'd succeed without thinking on his feet. There were just too many variables to plan it all out beforehand. Strategic thinking was interrupted when another pair of footsteps echoed over the hard floor, audible because the banter and cursing of the men in the room already died down with a startling abruptness. The footsteps stopped, and Cloud could see the slightest bit of black hair falling over a blue-uniformed shoulder.

This new man was standing very near Cloud's current shelter. In fact, Cloud thought that he was much too close for comfort. The instinct struck him like a ton weight to curl further up and do his best to disappear. If he could see them, they could see him, and that would be the end of it. He leaned a little too far to the right in an attempt to ensure that he was out of anyone's range of visibility, and his arm made contact with the heated metal of the furnace. Automatically his body squeezed a hiss through his lips before he realized what had happened. The raw flesh of the burn seethed with pain.

'Shit,' he thought upon practically _hearing_ the first mate freeze for a moment, visually noticing the very back of the profile stiffen. But to Cloud's surprise, the man with the black hair did nothing. He'd surely heard Cloud's little slip-up, judging by his reaction. The other men were probably too far to have heard over the constant groans of machinery.

After a moment that seemed to stretch on for eternity, Zack opened his mouth. The words were not what Cloud had been expecting.

"Say, guys. You've had a long day. How about you call it a break and go get yourselves some dinner? I'll keep an eye on things in here."

Apparently he wasn't the only one who found this comment strange. One of the engineers looked curiously at Zack. "You sure, Fair? You definitely have more important things to do as first mate than grunt work down here!" He chuckled lightly; despite the difference in positions, all of these men seemed to find easy camaraderie in Zack.

This man was just full of surprises, Cloud decided: Disproving one assumption after another...

"Hey, I wouldn't offer if I didn't have the time. Besides, I need to get myself reacquainted with these beasties," the first mate said cheerfully with a shrug, tilting his head towards the power of the huge boat.

"Aren't you getting hungry?" Zack's eyes were mischievous in his teasing, "Elmyra and the other chefs cooked some mighty fine ducks tonight..."

They didn't need to be told twice, that was for certain. One after another, the engineers filed out of the large compartment, offering their thanks and a frequent clap on the back for their kindly first mate.

Finally, Zack was alone in the room with Cloud. He watched the door close behind the last hungry worker, before he turned calmly to the row of furnaces on the port side. He had to admit, this was a rough room in which his anonymous little friend had been forced to hide. The only cover from sight was between the high-temperature furnaces and crates filled with sooty coal, and heaven knew he sure didn't want to have to sit close to either of those things for more than a few minutes.

"It's just me now. You can come on out."

Silence answered him, and Zack's face fell into an expression of concern.

"Listen, I'm not going to hurt you or anything," he explained with the patience of a tutor to a child, "I don't want you to get burned back there; it can't be very comfortable. Besides, I already know that you're here. Please?"

Perhaps it was the compassionate tone of voice used by the older man that moved the rock that was an independent and skeptical Cloud; but at any rate, he carefully began making his way out into the open after a minute's internal debate. A hand was offered to him, but he didn't take it. The young man looked thoroughly defeated as he stepped over a large copper pipe and was finally revealed to Zack.

Cloud looked uneasy as he scratched the back of his neck knowing he'd been caught.

Zack just smiled kindly upon looking into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. "Mind telling me what you were doing hiding back here?" And as soon as the words had left his mouth, the recollection hit him. "Hey, you're the guy who tried to barter for passage with Tseng earlier, aren't you?"

Because Cloud had no idea who Tseng was but assumed the man remembered the appropriate encounter, he just gave a brief nod.

"…Which means you don't have a ticket."

In response to this, Cloud merely looked up at the man blankly. _Well no shit, Sherlock._

Zack exhaled through his nose and turned to the door, gesturing with a hand for the man to follow behind him. "Come with me, would you?"

It wasn't a question.

* * *

They left Cloud's sanctuary of the past several hours, and he spared it a brief backward glance before the steel door closed on the furnace room. At least in there he'd known what to expect. Out in the open, he was subject to whatever rules they followed…and whatever subsequent consequences they warranted.

"Really needed to go West badly, I guess?" Zack asked as they walked along the lower deck; Cloud wasn't sure what this looked like.

"They told you there was a ship at the end of the month, right?" He looked over with such a non-condemning expression that Cloud felt almost obligated to give him an explanation.

He looked straight ahead, trying to keep his shoulders back and his spine straight so that passer-bys wouldn't be keyed in that he was somehow guilty. "I couldn't wait that long."

"Huh. Fair enough."

The curious pair continued on until they reached a deck where Zack folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against a door. "What's your name, Spike?"

A little affronted at the audacity this stranger was taking, but knowing that he was in little position to do anything about it, the stowaway frowned. "My name is Cloud." He thought, and thought a little more, and unsurprisingly the first memory that came to the forefront of his mind (which he knew wouldn't induce the stabbing pain into his nervous system) was looking up at a sign with big block letters, a voice calling his name in a sing song off a few yards. "Cloud…Strife."

If the pause was as awkward as it sounded to the blond himself, Zack said nothing of it. "Good to meet you, Cloud, despite circumstances and all. But I think I might like Spike better," Zack taunted, chuckling as the crease between his counterpart's eyebrows rose. "I'm Zack Fair. First mate of this beauty you fancied to swing a lift on." He rose a hand while nodding, assuming that Cloud would be instilled with as much appreciation for the effort that had gone into the vessel as he himself had been. "But onto important matters of business, now that niceties are over. Why shouldn't I handcuff you to a pipe until we hit the next beach?"

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble for you-" and he almost added a 'sir' on the end of that admission, but then he recalled the lack of formality with which Zack had regarded him (though, Cloud grudgingly conceded, it was more comforting than being treated like dirt, as a common thief very well could have been). "I had my reasons for needing to leave…at any cost."

The scrutiny to which Zack's deep eyes subjected him was almost unnerving. It was as though this fellow could judge his sincerity, read between the lines, and see into his thoughts all at the same time. Cloud almost would have rather had Zack yell and curse at him from the start, or at least act more like Cloud expected from a sailor.

He shrugged, blue eyes still scanning every inch around them that wasn't the emotionless face interrogating him. "I understand that you're required to do … whatever it is that you need to do now." That was the blond man's way of assuring his captor that he didn't intend to cause a fuss or put up a fight. The last thing he needed was to stir up additional strife…no pun intended.

Zack was quiet for a longer span of time than he'd been since Cloud met him, and when he straightened up from leaning against the door, it was sudden enough to make Cloud flinch. The man merely opened the door upon which he'd been resting, and gestured for Cloud to follow him inside.

The room was…certainly not what Cloud expected. It didn't appear to be a cell, and it didn't seem like a containment facility, either. Or, at least, Cloud had never been made aware of any cells with full furnishings.

"I'll have to pull out a cot from storage somewhere, so your legs might hang off the end a little; but it's better than the floor, right?" Zack guffawed at the expression on the blond's face. "What's the matter? You'll need somewhere to stay, Cloudy, and if you're with me I can make sure you don't get up to any other mischief."

* * *

A/N: I'z in ur fanfictions, gettin' mah shit together. The last five hundred or so words were fairly elusive until 3 in the morning after I told psychology to go fuck itself because I wanted to write FF VII, bitch. Hope all of you readers are doing well; thanks for being so patient with my poor time-management skills. 8D


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